On the Road: ChumpCar World Series

On the Road: ChumpCar World Series

Calgary-based Giant Killer Racing has little money invested in this 1974 BMW 2002 -- the body shell was free, and the engine is from a wrecked BMW 3-series -- making it the ideal vehicle for ChumpCar racing.

On the grid at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Calgarian Anthony Kalcounis and his Giant Killer Racing team's 1974 BMW 2002 is second from the right.

Anthony Kalcounis, Driving

Calgary ChumpCar team Tachophobic Racing at speed in their 1988 Mustang at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Ron Ens, Driving

CALGARY – Given plenty of time and money, anything is possible.

And as Anthony Kalcounis notes, there’s never enough of either.

That’s why the racing enthusiast, who continues to field competitive BMWs with his Calgary-based Giant Killer Racing team, became interested in a low-budget, grassroots racing side-project known as the ChumpCar World Series.

The whole point of ChumpCar is to take a vehicle worth no more than $500 and make it race worthy by adding $2,000 to $3,000 in safety gear. And then, have fun as the car is raced in a 24-hour endurance event.

Kalcounis had his interest piqued in 2009 when one of his racing sponsors, Autosport Labs, asked him to be a team member and co-drive their LabRat1, an older Mazda Miata. He was wary of getting involved with what he called ‘crap can’ racing, but in the end Kalcounis took his turn behind the wheel.

He’s glad he did.

“One of the best thing about (ChumpCar) competitions, and other racing series like it,” Kalcounis said, “is it opens up the opportunity to go to a number of different tracks, such as Sebring or Virginia International Raceway, and experience them firsthand.”

Kalcounis put together his own team in 2011 and prepared a 1974 BMW 2002 for ChumpCar competition. The body shell was free, and the team installed a junkyard motor from a 1989 BMW 325. They used the best suspension components and brakes that they could, and their first taste of action in the BMW was at a ChumpCar event held in Calgary at the now defunct Race City Motorsport Park.

“It was fun, and there were many local guys who got the ChumpCar bug,” Kalcounis explained.

There are now approximately 10 active ChumpCar teams in Alberta with more based in Edmonton than in Calgary, and these are just the teams interested in attending more than a single race every year.

And with other Alberta teams interested in attending events further afield, Kalcounis said it’s easy to pool resources and share expenses by hauling two cars per trailer to tracks such as Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

“With costs split between eight or more people, it becomes somewhat more reasonable to race,” Kalcounis said.

His enthusiasm for the less expensive form of racing has proven infectious. Five years ago, while at a hockey game with client Ron Ens, the pair began talking about interests other than business. Ens was involved in time trialing his own car, and discussed getting further involved with actual wheel-to-wheel racing but balked at the costs. Kalcounis convinced him to check out ChumpCar, and the hook was firmly set.

“They started with a Mazda RX7, but have sold that to another local team and have built a 1988 Mustang – they’ve either won or been on the podium at just about every race they’ve entered,” Kalcounis said.

A team usually consists of at least four people, and all often get a chance to drive in the endurance races because there are mandatory driver changes every two hours. And that puts a lot of pressure on each driver to make sure they don’t damage the car.

“You spend so much time prepping the car, if you go out and roast a transmission or pile into a tire wall on your first lap you’re not going to be too popular because none of the other team members will get a chance to drive,” Kalcounis said.

Beyond ChumpCar, there are several other return-to-grassroots endurance racing events. These include Lucky Dog Racing League, World Racing League and 24 Hours of LeMons.

Kalcounis concluded, “The key attractiveness to this kind of racing is that they allow you to divide the work and share costs and risk. Prepping any race car is a lot of work — Chump or ‘real’ racing — and it helps to have people who are committed share in the fun.”

Greg Williams is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Have a column tip? Contact him at 403-287-1067, gregwilliams@shaw.ca, or visit gregwilliams.ca